1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to implementations for presenting multiple gift cards. More particularly, the present invention relates to gift card envelopes that receive, hold and enclose two or more gift cards.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gift coupons refer to any certificate where the issuer has received payment for the full face value for the future purchase or delivery of goods or services and any medium that evidences the giving of consideration in exchange for the right to redeem it for goods, food, services, credit or money of at least an equal value. Gift coupons are typically given as gifts and may for example include gift certificates. Gift certificates are legal tender purchased by a buyer for use by a person other than the buyer and usable in its face amount in lieu of cash in exchange for goods or services supplied by the seller. Gift Certificates generally come in the form of a piece of paper with a designated amount or banked dollar value. The piece of paper also generally includes information about the seller of the gift certificate (e.g., logos, company name, etc.). The shape and look is typically similar to traditional money such as the dollar bill. The gift certificates may come in a particular dollar amount, or the gift certificates can be made to order, i.e., varying amounts may be applied to the gift certificate.
Gift Certificates have been around for some time. Gift certificates allow the holder of the certificate to purchase items using the gift certificate rather than using money. This particular format has been used with great regularity as a gift, especially when the buyer is not really sure what to give to someone such as a friend or family member. The gift certificate allows the purchaser to give a unique gift, but without having to actually find an item that would satisfy the recipient.
Gift coupons also include gift cards, which are the electronic equivalent of a gift certificate. They are similar to credit cards in makeup, however, they have a banked dollar value similar to gift certificates. Gift cards are typically formed from a plastic material that includes a magnetic strip thereon. The magnetic strip contains the dollar amount of the gift card. When used, the amount is reduced by the purchase price of the item being purchased. Like gift certificates, gift cards typically include information about the seller of the gift card (e.g., logos, company name, etc.).
In recent years, gift cards have become increasingly popular due to their ease of use. In fact, they have almost entirely replaced gift certificates. Gift cards are essentially credit cards with a designated limited. Gift cards may designate the amounts contained therein, or they may be programmable to any value. By way of example, gift cards may be purchased for amounts as low as $5 to as high as $1000 and beyond. The gift cards with pre designated amounts are typically packaged so that consumers may easily select their desired amount. In most cases, the plastic gift card is glued to a piece of cardboard backing. The cardboard backing includes a hole so that the gift card can hang from shelves. The card board backing also typically includes decoration or ornamentation such as a store logo.
Gift coupons such as gift certificates and gift cards are generally associated with particular store, i.e., the gift certificate or gift card can only be used at that store. Examples of stores include retail stores such as Wal Mart, Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, Macys, Sears and the like. Alternatively, the gift coupons may be issued by financial institutions such as bank or credit card companies. These coupons are generally accepted anywhere the institution is accepted, i.e., they act like a credit card. Visa, MasterCard and American Express are several examples of financial institutions that may issue these type of gift coupons.
In order to present the gift coupon as a gift, the gift coupon is typically placed in a pouch or envelope, both of which simulate gift wrap. The pouch or envelope is capable of receiving the gift certificate therein similar to money in a wallet. Unfortunately, however, there is generally a single pouch. This makes it difficult to present multiple gift coupons to the recipient. Furthermore, a gift coupon may be placed inside a greeting card. Greeting cards, however, do not typically include a means for holding the gift coupon thereto and thus the gift coupon may fall out when the greeting card is opened.
While gift coupons such as gift certificates and gift cards may be advantageous to the purchaser they can sometimes appear to be a thoughtless gift. That is, the recipient may think that the gift was bought in a hurry or because the purchaser didn't want to spend the time finding a physical gift.